Luvitec® product line grows
New copolymer for the manufacture of special membranes.
- (1888PressRelease) July 19, 2011 - Special membranes are needed wherever materials have to be separated from one another in a particularly gentle way, i.e. without the application of heat or chemicals. With thousands of tiny pores, they cleanse drinking water of bacteria or facilitate the concentration of juices. In dialysis, the special filters free human blood from toxins. The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) Luvitec® is an important component in the manufacture of membranes. Now, the new Luvitec VA 6535 P is even better tailored to the requirements of the membrane industry.
Optimal for the food industry
“With its characteristic profile, the new product is particularly well suited to sensitive membrane applications such as food production or medical devices,” said Dr. Stephan Bauer, Technical Marketing Luvitec. The residual monomer content of Luvitec VA 6535 P is less than 10 ppm (parts per million), thus meeting the European directive on plastic materials in contact with foodstuffs (directive 2007/19/EC), and is proven to be toxicologically harmless. Additionally, on account of its higher water-repellent properties in comparison to other PVP products, the new Luvitec is compatible with plastics such as polysulfone (PSU), polyethersulfone (PES) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF); used in the manufacture of membranes.
Luvitec puts the pores in the membrane
Membranes used in dialysis are mostly hollow fiber membranes - a capillary-like fiber. These fibers can be manufactured from a solution of plastic and PVP by means of the so-called wet-spinning process. Subsequently the water-soluble PVP is washed out of the fiber, leaving many thousands of tiny pores and channels. A small proportion of the PVP, some one to two percent, provides for a hydrophilic surface, ensuring the optimal exchange of materials during filtration.
A real all-rounder
But Luvitec VA 6535 P is not only suitable for the production of membranes. On account of its significantly lower glass transition temperature of 115 degrees Celsius, the new product can also be used in the manufacture of water-soluble hot melt adhesives. Applications are, for example in wetness indicator strips for diapers. But there are also many fields of application in the agricultural sector, as a special additive or as a coating polymer for seed coatings.
About polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)
PVP is a product that has been a success story for a long time now. About 70 years ago the chemist Walter Reppe, working in a BASF laboratory in Ludwigshafen, used acetylene and pyrrolidone to produce a new monomer called vinylpyrrolidone, which in turn can be transformed into the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone. The BASF researcher had discovered a veritable all-rounder: PVP is soluble in water, but it can also absorb large quantities of water; it is non-irritant to the skin and does not pose a health hazard; it is temperature-resistant, pH-stable, nonionic and colorless. Due to these varied features PVP can be used for a wide range of applications. PVP is used in various BASF product lines, including Kollidon® as a pharmaceutical excipient, Luviskol® as a component of hair gels and hair sprays and Divergan® that is used in the filtration of beer and in the treatment of wine.
Further information about PVP can be found at:
www.luvitec.de
www.kollidon.de
www.cosmetics.basf.de
www.divergan.basf.de
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and agricultural products to oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of about €63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109 ,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in its Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com.
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